Scotland mission summary
Jan. 29th, 2018 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wynnBelle, Gold, Lila, Emma S., Hook (Erky)
Gold gathered together a group after doing some digging on Amara, the Homo Magi's, situation. He explained that he had learned of a set of ruins that had come through the Veil in an old-fashioned village in Scotland, infested with golbins, but that yielded an apple every midsummer that could heal any affliction that magic couldn't, perhaps even Amara's curse.
They sailed to Scotland on Hook's ship and entered the ruins, which were marked with a Dwarven alphabet, but using the Goblin language - as a threat against intruders. They climbed down into the ruins and fought off some dire rats, and discovered the top of an underground citadel buried under the earth. They had to leave Milah the crocodile behind since she could not physically get across the ledge to enter. Inside they found inhuman remains from a battle - goblins. They made their way through a trapped door, where they were attacked by some skeletons.
They continued exploring the Citadel, and found a door with a dragon in stone relief on it with a keyhole. They realized the Citadel was not built by the goblins, but rather humans from the Shadow World. The goblins seemed to have moved in after the fact. They found a massive chamber covered with bright green glyphs and symbols and a metallic cage with a gaping hole in the side. Belle recognized the glyphs as Draconic, and translated "Here There Be Dragons". They then discovered a hapless kobold named Meepo, who told them that the kobolds were fighting goblins there. He said that he was supposed to be the Keeper of Dragons and protect the clan's dragon, Calcryx, but that the goblins had stolen it. Meepo offered to take them to meet his clan leader, Yusdrayl, who could grant them safe passage if they would rescue the dragon. Gold was heavily suspicious of making deals with kobolds, but they went to meet with them anyway. Meepo seemed to have gotten in trouble with his clan for losing the dragon, and Yusdrayl questioned them about why they were there. They learned that she had brought her clan there because it was a place where dragons were worshiped years ago, and kobolds considered themselves heirs to dragons. Yusdrayl agreed to give them a key and two treasures if they returned the dragon. She sent Meepo with them, and he took them the "back way" after Calcryx.
They discovered a dragon fountain, and were attacked by more rats. The doors in the room were inscribed with "Channel good, open the way". They found some treasure in the rat nest and moved on. A rigged door sounded an alarm that alerted some goblins to their approach but Gold killed them quickly. They ran afoul of more goblins and managed to capture one. They interrogated it and learned that the dragon was in the trophy room and how to get there. They also took a key from it that led to an area where the goblins had prisoners, which they swore to free.
The prisoners were kobolds, except for one battered gnome named Erky Timbers. He was grateful for the rescue and explained that he had been imprisoned for a year, starved and abused, but that he was a cleric and had kept himself alive. He informed them that he'd heard the goblins talk about a "Twilight Grove" below where an evil druid named Belak tended an enchanted garden and harvested apples from the Gulthias Tree, which terrified the goblins. They sent the kobolds back to their clan, and Erky went with them.
They continued on and found a trophy room full of mounted animal heads, including kobolds, where thin patches of ice coated the floor. They pushed their goblin prisoner into the room to check for traps, which disquieted Belle. Abruptly a tiny white dragon attacked them - Meepo's dragon, Calcryx, who the kobold insisted they must knock out gently, overjoyed to see his "pet". Calcryx, however, seemed to hate Meepo quite a bit, so it wasn't an easy task, and it kept blasting them with its little ice breath. Emma managed to knock the dragon out and Lila tied it up, having become attached to the little guy. She lobbied to free him as Belle healed the kobold, who had been knocked out in the fight.
The goblin prisoner let them know they could reach the Grove through the nearby hall of the goblin chief. Meepo was angry that they weren't taking Calcryx straight back, concerned that if the goblins took the humans, they would also take the dragon back again. Emma insisted Meepo help them in return before they took him back. They used magic to try to sound like a larger group than they were, and some of the goblins in the hall scattered. In the throne room, they still had to fight off numerous goblins, as well as the hobgoblin chief, who protected a shaft down into the grove.
Belle argued that they shouldn't force Meepo to stay, when he had nearly died twice, and they agreed to let him take Calcryx back. Emma got poisoned by a trap dart, and they realized that they needed to get their hands on an apple to heal her.
They headed down to the grove, where two gaunt cloaked figures shoveled earth and turned out to be skeletons, which attacked, and so did the trees themselves. A huge angry bugbear and his pet dire rat came out as well, threatening to put them in his cookpot. They defeated him and decided to rest for the night. During the night, several more walking trees attacked and they had to fight them off.
The next morning, they decided to head in the direction the trees had come from, and moved down a long tunnel where a strange geologic rift rent the earth. At the far end, they fought a bizarre worm creature. They continued exploring, and found an area with stone walls and bas-relief carvings of terrified Shadowkind with fire raining down on them. Gardening implements were visible and they realized they were close to their druid.
They found some goblins collecting fungi in baskets, with another bugbear, who they also took down. They ran into another arboretum populated with the same, and had to fight them too. They found a chamber with a huge statue of a red dragon, whose runes read "Let the sorcerous power illuminate my mind". As Gold read it aloud, he gained a magical boost to his sorcerous power. However, a Shadow creature arose to attack them and Gold burned it to a crisp.
They found a destroyed library, which made Belle sad, but found some intact scrolls within, and a tome on draconic lore. They heard more goblins up ahead, who called for the aid of the "Protector of the Twilight Grove" as they killed them. They discovered a collapsed wall into a cavern with the top of a gargantuan tree that was pale with spindly briars and barbs and surrounded by more walking trees. They ambushed them and killed them before moving on to the final grove itself.
In the grove rested a blackened evil tree, surrounded by some men and a woman, as well as a large tree frog. One of the men and women wore blank looks, and the last man, in a simple brown cassock with a sickle in hand, cautioned them as they entered to tarry before taking action, and warned them that they trod on hallowed ground. The druid, hearing that they had come for the fruit of the tree, explained that it ripened only two fruits every year, at the summer solstice. He explained that in order for the Gulthias Tree to bear fruit, certain conditions must be fulfilled. The tree was the the site of a place where a vampire had been staked to the earth, and that the wooden stake was green and had grown into the tree. Its dark power was tied to the vampire's nature, and gained power from the life of others. Lila, realizing what it meant, offered to sacrifice her life to get the apple, but the others stopped her. Emma noticed the human-shaped dips in the tree, and the druid told them that those who were supplicants to the tree maintained their life but were bound to the grove and became mindless protectors of the place. He gestured to the two beside him who had done the same.
He told them that if they could provide him with two supplicants, the midsummer apple that would be produced would be theirs. He also admitted that the reason he gave the goblins the fruit was to disperse the fruit on the surface, and he intended to colonize the surface with the Children of the Gulthias Tree. Hook, horrified and angered, shot at the man, who also told them that the midsummer apple might heal any ill, but the one from midwinter killed with a single bite. Hook told them that they'd find another way to break the curse - that this one wasn't worth the price. They fought and killed the protectors of the grove, as the druid turned the entire grove against them. He said that if they would not volunteer, he would make them supplicants by choice. Emma tried to keep the druid alive, but he bled out, losing them any chance of the apple. Belle proclaimed that it was for the best, as the magic of this grove was evil, and taking one of the apples would have made them the same. Erky agreed that taking any of the seeds out of the grove would have been an act of great evil, and that they should burn it. Emma agreed that they should find the trees on the surface and destroy them as well. Erky suggested they enlist rangers and druids, and clerics of nature gods to help them. Emma blamed Gold for their failure, and he burned the tree to ashes.
They explained the Knights to Erky, who agreed to help them in their task.
Gold gathered together a group after doing some digging on Amara, the Homo Magi's, situation. He explained that he had learned of a set of ruins that had come through the Veil in an old-fashioned village in Scotland, infested with golbins, but that yielded an apple every midsummer that could heal any affliction that magic couldn't, perhaps even Amara's curse.
They sailed to Scotland on Hook's ship and entered the ruins, which were marked with a Dwarven alphabet, but using the Goblin language - as a threat against intruders. They climbed down into the ruins and fought off some dire rats, and discovered the top of an underground citadel buried under the earth. They had to leave Milah the crocodile behind since she could not physically get across the ledge to enter. Inside they found inhuman remains from a battle - goblins. They made their way through a trapped door, where they were attacked by some skeletons.
They continued exploring the Citadel, and found a door with a dragon in stone relief on it with a keyhole. They realized the Citadel was not built by the goblins, but rather humans from the Shadow World. The goblins seemed to have moved in after the fact. They found a massive chamber covered with bright green glyphs and symbols and a metallic cage with a gaping hole in the side. Belle recognized the glyphs as Draconic, and translated "Here There Be Dragons". They then discovered a hapless kobold named Meepo, who told them that the kobolds were fighting goblins there. He said that he was supposed to be the Keeper of Dragons and protect the clan's dragon, Calcryx, but that the goblins had stolen it. Meepo offered to take them to meet his clan leader, Yusdrayl, who could grant them safe passage if they would rescue the dragon. Gold was heavily suspicious of making deals with kobolds, but they went to meet with them anyway. Meepo seemed to have gotten in trouble with his clan for losing the dragon, and Yusdrayl questioned them about why they were there. They learned that she had brought her clan there because it was a place where dragons were worshiped years ago, and kobolds considered themselves heirs to dragons. Yusdrayl agreed to give them a key and two treasures if they returned the dragon. She sent Meepo with them, and he took them the "back way" after Calcryx.
They discovered a dragon fountain, and were attacked by more rats. The doors in the room were inscribed with "Channel good, open the way". They found some treasure in the rat nest and moved on. A rigged door sounded an alarm that alerted some goblins to their approach but Gold killed them quickly. They ran afoul of more goblins and managed to capture one. They interrogated it and learned that the dragon was in the trophy room and how to get there. They also took a key from it that led to an area where the goblins had prisoners, which they swore to free.
The prisoners were kobolds, except for one battered gnome named Erky Timbers. He was grateful for the rescue and explained that he had been imprisoned for a year, starved and abused, but that he was a cleric and had kept himself alive. He informed them that he'd heard the goblins talk about a "Twilight Grove" below where an evil druid named Belak tended an enchanted garden and harvested apples from the Gulthias Tree, which terrified the goblins. They sent the kobolds back to their clan, and Erky went with them.
They continued on and found a trophy room full of mounted animal heads, including kobolds, where thin patches of ice coated the floor. They pushed their goblin prisoner into the room to check for traps, which disquieted Belle. Abruptly a tiny white dragon attacked them - Meepo's dragon, Calcryx, who the kobold insisted they must knock out gently, overjoyed to see his "pet". Calcryx, however, seemed to hate Meepo quite a bit, so it wasn't an easy task, and it kept blasting them with its little ice breath. Emma managed to knock the dragon out and Lila tied it up, having become attached to the little guy. She lobbied to free him as Belle healed the kobold, who had been knocked out in the fight.
The goblin prisoner let them know they could reach the Grove through the nearby hall of the goblin chief. Meepo was angry that they weren't taking Calcryx straight back, concerned that if the goblins took the humans, they would also take the dragon back again. Emma insisted Meepo help them in return before they took him back. They used magic to try to sound like a larger group than they were, and some of the goblins in the hall scattered. In the throne room, they still had to fight off numerous goblins, as well as the hobgoblin chief, who protected a shaft down into the grove.
Belle argued that they shouldn't force Meepo to stay, when he had nearly died twice, and they agreed to let him take Calcryx back. Emma got poisoned by a trap dart, and they realized that they needed to get their hands on an apple to heal her.
They headed down to the grove, where two gaunt cloaked figures shoveled earth and turned out to be skeletons, which attacked, and so did the trees themselves. A huge angry bugbear and his pet dire rat came out as well, threatening to put them in his cookpot. They defeated him and decided to rest for the night. During the night, several more walking trees attacked and they had to fight them off.
The next morning, they decided to head in the direction the trees had come from, and moved down a long tunnel where a strange geologic rift rent the earth. At the far end, they fought a bizarre worm creature. They continued exploring, and found an area with stone walls and bas-relief carvings of terrified Shadowkind with fire raining down on them. Gardening implements were visible and they realized they were close to their druid.
They found some goblins collecting fungi in baskets, with another bugbear, who they also took down. They ran into another arboretum populated with the same, and had to fight them too. They found a chamber with a huge statue of a red dragon, whose runes read "Let the sorcerous power illuminate my mind". As Gold read it aloud, he gained a magical boost to his sorcerous power. However, a Shadow creature arose to attack them and Gold burned it to a crisp.
They found a destroyed library, which made Belle sad, but found some intact scrolls within, and a tome on draconic lore. They heard more goblins up ahead, who called for the aid of the "Protector of the Twilight Grove" as they killed them. They discovered a collapsed wall into a cavern with the top of a gargantuan tree that was pale with spindly briars and barbs and surrounded by more walking trees. They ambushed them and killed them before moving on to the final grove itself.
In the grove rested a blackened evil tree, surrounded by some men and a woman, as well as a large tree frog. One of the men and women wore blank looks, and the last man, in a simple brown cassock with a sickle in hand, cautioned them as they entered to tarry before taking action, and warned them that they trod on hallowed ground. The druid, hearing that they had come for the fruit of the tree, explained that it ripened only two fruits every year, at the summer solstice. He explained that in order for the Gulthias Tree to bear fruit, certain conditions must be fulfilled. The tree was the the site of a place where a vampire had been staked to the earth, and that the wooden stake was green and had grown into the tree. Its dark power was tied to the vampire's nature, and gained power from the life of others. Lila, realizing what it meant, offered to sacrifice her life to get the apple, but the others stopped her. Emma noticed the human-shaped dips in the tree, and the druid told them that those who were supplicants to the tree maintained their life but were bound to the grove and became mindless protectors of the place. He gestured to the two beside him who had done the same.
He told them that if they could provide him with two supplicants, the midsummer apple that would be produced would be theirs. He also admitted that the reason he gave the goblins the fruit was to disperse the fruit on the surface, and he intended to colonize the surface with the Children of the Gulthias Tree. Hook, horrified and angered, shot at the man, who also told them that the midsummer apple might heal any ill, but the one from midwinter killed with a single bite. Hook told them that they'd find another way to break the curse - that this one wasn't worth the price. They fought and killed the protectors of the grove, as the druid turned the entire grove against them. He said that if they would not volunteer, he would make them supplicants by choice. Emma tried to keep the druid alive, but he bled out, losing them any chance of the apple. Belle proclaimed that it was for the best, as the magic of this grove was evil, and taking one of the apples would have made them the same. Erky agreed that taking any of the seeds out of the grove would have been an act of great evil, and that they should burn it. Emma agreed that they should find the trees on the surface and destroy them as well. Erky suggested they enlist rangers and druids, and clerics of nature gods to help them. Emma blamed Gold for their failure, and he burned the tree to ashes.
They explained the Knights to Erky, who agreed to help them in their task.